The burden of big breasts

When all eyes are on your size-DD chest, opting for surgery can save your self-esteem.

Self

At age 11, all I wanted was breasts. Hunching in my gymnastics leotard, I’d push my shoulders forward and press my arms into my sides. “Look, Mom, cleavage,” I’d say, batting my eyelashes.

“Be careful what you wish for,” my mother, ample on top herself, always told me. “Big boobs run in our family.”

Voluptuousness fascinated me, but it frightened me, too. A thigh-high stack of Playboys filled a corner of my parents’ bathroom. I’d lock the door and cradle a copy in my lap, glasses sliding down my nose. I’d immediately turn to the Playmate data sheets that accompanied each month’s centerfold. Next to “Turn Ons” (Strawberries!) and “Ambition” (To be an actress!) were three childhood photos—to my mind, the only authentic part of the spread. I recognized myself in the prepubescent Playmates’ crooked smiles. One factor seemed to account for the difference between these children and the scary adult centerfolds: big boobs. Apparently, breasts, once they made an appearance, could recast a girl as someone else…read more here.